Vehicle.



PATENTBD AUG. 14, 1906.

G. FITZGERALD VEHIGLE,

union-10x 22:23: 10v. a. 1000.

V INVENTOr'r G'eorye iiizyezwzcv GEORGE FITZGERALD, OF MONRGE, NEW YORK.

V E H [C L E Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug-I14, 1906.

Application filed November 9, 1995. Serial No. 286.524-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Gnonen FITZGERALD, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Monroe, in the county of Orange and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to surreys and similar road-vehicles havingspring-supported bodies; and its object is to provide certain new anduseful improvements in vehicles, whereby the brake can be forciblyapplied without danger of unduly shifting the vehiole-body lengthwise.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations ofthe same which will be more fully described heroine-its and then pointedout in the claims.

A practlcal embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement, parts being shown insection. Fig. 2 is an enlarged bottom lan view of the vehiole-gear,parts being s own in section; and Fig. 3 is an enlar ed side elevationof the brace and part of t e brake mechanism.

The vehicle on which the improvement is applied consists, essentially.of a vehicle-body A, mounted on sprin s13 and G, of which the spring Bis attache to a front bolster I), mounted to turn in the usual manner ona front axle E, and the spring O is supported in the usual manner on arear axle E". On the axles E and E are mounted the usual front and rearwheels F and F, and the rear axle E is connected with the bolster D bythe usual reach G.

The brake mechanism for the vehicle is of usual construction andconsists of brakeshoes H, mounted on the crank-arms H of a rock-shaft H,journaled in suitable bearings attached to the under side of thevehiclebody A and on the said shaft H is arranged an arm connected by alink H with a footlever H under the control of the operator seated inthe vehicle-body A. When the operator presses the foot-lever Hforwardly, then the brake-shoes H are moved in insert with the rearwheels F vehicle A. In order to prevent the vehiclebody A from shiftingin a lengthwise direcengae to brake t e tion While applying the brake asdescribed a brace I is rovided, connecting the vehic ebody A Wit thefront bolster D, so as to prevent lengthwise movement of the vehiclebodyA, especially when the brake mechanism is actuated as above described.The brace I is preferabl made in parts or sections 1 I", connected witheach other by a swivel I, and the section I is pivotally connected witha bracket J, attached to the front bolster D,

and the section I is ivotally connected with a bracket J, secure to theunder side of the vehiclehody A.

By the arrangement described longitudinal movement of the vehicle-body A1s prevented when applying the brake mechanism so as to permit t eoperator to forcibly move the brake-shoes H 111 engagement with the rearwheels F to insure a proper braking of the vehicle. It will also be seenthat by the use of the brace I the free up-and-down swinging motion ofthe vehicle A is not interfered with, and any sidewise or rocking of thevehicle A does not injure the brace I, as the latter is provided withthe swivel I to allow one of the brace-sections to turn on the other toaccommodate sid ewise rocking movement.

In practice it may income cases be desir able to connect the w on-body Aby the brace I with the rear bo ster instead of the front bolster l asshown and described. By the use of the brace the bodyA is held againstundue ion 'tudinal movement in case the eyes of the springs 13 and C areworn The device is very simple and durable in construction, can becheaply manufactured, and readily applied to vehicles as at presentconstructed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A vehicle comprisin a running-gear, a body, springsconnecting t e body to the rear axle and to the bolster on the frontaxle, a brake mechanism controlled bv the operator seated on the saidbody, and hsvin brakeshoes engagin the rear wheels of t e runrung car,an a longitudinally extendin brace aving a pivotal connection at one enwith the body and at the other end with the bolster, said bracecomprising a plurality of sections connected together by a swiveljoint.

2. A brace for connecting the body and the running-gear of evehicle,comprisingabrace- In testimony whereof I have signed my rod composed ofa plurality of sections conname to this specification in the presence ofnected by a swivel-joint, the free end of one two subscribing witnesses.

of said sections being pivotally connected GEORGE FITZGERALD. with therunning-gear, end the free end of Witnesses: the other section beingpivotally connected W. R. BULL,

to the body.

STEPHEN H. ARNOLD, Jr.

